The lady protests too much
by Elane217
Summary: So, who else thought that Tina was protesting too much about Puck's part in the KISS number? Yeah, me too so here's what went on in my mind about the heat between the goth and the jock.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So as one of the reviewers reminded me the quote I use is actually about Finn. Oh well, I guess whenever I watched the episode the first time I missed that bit and since you only see Finn sticking out his tongue during their "interview" after the number it didn't really stick with me. Not nearly as well as Mr Hottypants, Noah Puckerman's tongue action.

DISCLAIMER: I'll only post this once, I do NOT own the rights to GLEE. If I did, I wouldn't have Finn as the male lead in all the songs. Does his voice annoy anyone else or is it just me?

* * *

... sticking his tongue out. I kept picturing him licking things. It was really disturbing."

Even as the words left Tina's mouth she knew they were just a cover; a well worded lie to distract Kurt from the truth. In reality, while the boys had been performing their song, Tina's eyes had locked onto Puck despite her best efforts to focus on Artie or at least the group as a whole. But no, her eyes just kept being drawn in like a tractor beam to those whore red lips. Seeing Puck in tight, black pleather and four inch platforms was like a naughty school girl outfit to a guy: total turn on.

Watching him carefully maneuver his way across the stage and try to make it look like it was totally natural had made her blood flow more quickly through her veins. The second he knelt down and raised his hand to his mouth, Tina knew she would be in trouble if she didn't look away, but like a wreck on the other side of the interstate she couldn't close her eyes or turn away. His surprisingly long tongue crept forth from his mouth and then undulated at a speed that Tina had previously thought could only be duplicated through the aid of batteries. That was the end for her.

Sitting on the wall, Tina crossed her ankles tighter but could feel the warmth and wetness between her thighs come unbidden. A tingling started at the back of her neck and spread down her back only to settle in the pit of her stomach. She felt her nipples harden against the silk of her slip and the seams of the plastic orbs brush against her breasts in all the wrong, yet oh so right places.

When the boys posed in their finale marks and the last chords and cymbals drifted off into silence, Tina felt it might be safe to breath and clapped along with the other girls. She was careful to place her hands in her lap to keep the orbs from moving and carefully examined the toe of one of her boots while Mr. Schue began his post-song interview of the boys.

"... of course, that doesn't really explain my whore lips."

That voice. Tina looked up and noticed that Puck had his eyes trained on her. What was he doing looking at her? She shifted nervously and tried to get herself back under control. "Come on, Tina, don't fall to this! Think of something. Skulls, spikes, darkness, candles, rustling black sheets, hard, sweating bodies. NO, no, no!" Tina closed her eyes tightly and gave her head a serious of quick, but small shakes, silently hoping that the traitorous thoughts would be dislodged from her brain. This only seemed to intensify her problem as an image of herself and Puck rolling under those black sheets in the candlelight appeared behind her eyelids.

Her mind and body seemed to have formed an alliance and were leading a rebellion against her sanity and better judgment. There was no way this was going to end well.

* * *

Puck had to admit, there was something sort of empowering in performing in full makeup. The process of getting said makeup off his face was a task he could do without he thought to himself as he squirted another dollop of dish soap into his palms and lathered it up. Of course, he could live without the heavy ass stacked shoes that made him feel like he was walking in a pair of combat boots with cement blocks strapped to the bottom, as well.

This was a different high than doing the normal numbers with everyone else or even his solos that were designed for maximum girl swoonage. No, this was more raw, more primal. Seeing the girls at the back of the auditorium screaming and going crazy was just that much more incentive to let himself fall deeper into the role. Well, all the girls minus one.

That weirdo, gothicka chick was still just sitting there. What was her problem? Did she always have to be this emo and depressed? Puck trained his eyes on Tina and made a decision. He refused to look at anyone else until he either got a reaction out of her or had to turn around for his upcoming jump from the drum riser.

It was time for his solo after Finn's opening lines and still his eyes never left her face, but he noticed something about her. There was something not right in her eyes or hell, he wasn't sure, just something wasn't the way he had remembered it being. Needing to test his idea, he knelt down and enacted his Gene Simmons' impersonation. He saw a blush rise up to Tina's cheeks, while her lips parted and she began to squirm in her seat on the wall, but still her eyes never moved from his. Oh yeah, he definitely had her attention now.

Puck stood up, turned his back and walked to the drum riser. So, the loli-goth wasn't as unaffected as she pretended to be. But why did that even matter, Puck thought to himself as he gathered the warm water in his hands to rinse the suds from his face. Sure, she was pretty, but so were a lot of other chicks from school and they weren't playing around in his head at that moment. He should be thinking of Quinn. Heck, she was living in his house, was pregnant with his daughter, and was due to give birth in only a few weeks. Once the truth was out about them, things were supposed to have changed and they had, just not in the way he had thought they would.

She still gave him the cold shoulder about most everything and refused to talk about the baby as a person. The pregnancy and how uncomfortable she was becoming, oh yeah, those topics were fair game but anything that had to do with the future and - he hated to even say the word - feelings were shutdown quicker than a Chinese buffet after temple was over on a Saturday night. Maybe that had something to do with it. Quinn still held strong to her gentile, holier than thou attitude towards him.

He rested his forearms on the kitchen sink. A name like Cohen-Chang it'd be just confusing and wrong if Tina weren't a Jew. Hadn't he seen Stutterfly at temple during Passover? It was hard to remember as his mother had been nagging him not only that he needed to attend more often, but also that he needed to find a good, Jewish girl and that it was such a shame that he botched his chance with the poster girl, Rachel.

"You still have star outline around your eye," Quinn said softly from beside him as she held out a packet of face wipes towards him.

He grunted and took one of the wipes working on his right eye. "Why do girls wear this stuff if it's so hard to get off?"

Quinn just scoffed and took another wipe to work on some of the white smudges still lingering on his left jaw. "Not all makeup is this stubborn. And besides, we wouldn't have to wear it if you boys would take notice of us without it."

Puck reached for another wipe and walked over to sit at the kitchen table. Still working on his face he let Quinn's words sink in. He didn't want his baby girl to feel like she had to work for a boy to notice her. Having his and Quinn's genes it would be impossible for boys to not notice her once she got old enough and that made some protective dragon that he didn't even know existed begin to release a rumbling growl from somewhere low in his chest. How much of what he noticed about girls was because of all the work they put into it and how much was the actual girl? Thinking about it, he realized that even though Tina would wear a bunch of gunk on her eyes the rest of her face didn't seem to ever have makeup. Most of her efforts were put into her hair and clothing almost as if she was intentionally making sure that people didn't look at her face. Weird.

Why go through all that work to draw attention but hide her face, especially when she was pretty? And it wasn't like she had anyone else to compete with being the only Asian girl in school. In Puck's mind was a mess; it made no sense to him. Was it intentional or did she just not know what she was hiding?

"You haven't mentioned anything about video games yet tonight, what are you thinking about?" Quinn asked as she took the wipe out of his still hand to throw away with the others.

He leaned his arm on the table and cradled his mouth in his palm, hoping to completely muffle his answer. "Tina."

"Tina?" Quinn spun around and stared at Puck, her mouth slightly open and one of her eyebrows cocked.

"Yeah, you know the gothicka chick from Glee. She wouldn't stop staring at me this afternoon and now I can't get her out of my head."

Quinn sat next to him and had a grin on her face. "Oh, no, the great Puck-zilla has finally fallen for a girl. So when are you planning on climbing the Eiffel Tower with her in your mighty paws and confessing your undying love?" She couldn't help but let a laugh escape at the look on Puck's face. It was mixture of embarrassed shock and annoyance.

"Shut up. I knew I shouldn't have said anything," he said with a scowl.

"Oh, no, it's just too much," Quinn said struggling to regain her breath and stop the giggles that still wanted to escape. "The thought of you pining over someone who doesn't even... I mean really, first me, then Mercedes, are you just a glutton for punishment or what?"

"Obviously, you know us Jews, we were made to suffer."

"Hmm, besides, what makes you think that Tina would have anything to do you outside of Glee? You two are night and day and I though she was with Artie now?"

"I don't know, but I have to figure something out. Besides, if I get her I'll have a complete set as far as the Glee girls go, " Puck said with a laugh.

"If that's all this is to you, another notch in the belt, I swear I'll smother you with a pillow tonight," Quinn said venomously with her eyes narrowed on him. "Tina and I may not be the best of friends but I refuse to let you use her while I know about it."

Puck placed his hand over hers and looked her straight in the eye. "This isn't about another conquest. I don't know what it is, but I have to see this through and at least give it a try. I haven't thought about one girl for this long since I had you."

"You never had me, Puck."

"Well then, doesn't that show you how different this is from all the other times?"

"Fine. But don't come crying to me when she turns you down."

"Babe, please. Who could turn this down?"

"Oh, let's see. There's been me, Brittany, Santana, Mercedes, Rach-"

"Okay, okay. Whatever. So, do I have your support in this or not? As soon as anyone else gets wise to what I'm doing they'll do whatever it takes to keep me away from her."

Quinn thought about it for a moment. Puck did have a point. The second any of the other Glee members saw him speaking to Tina they'd shut it down before he even got started. If not to protect her then to spare Artie the trauma of having to see his girl be hit on by someone else. "I'll do what I can to keep the dogs at bay for the first few days, after that you're on your own, Casanova."

"Alright, Operation Seduction is a go."


	2. Chapter 2 Funk

She doth protest too much

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, I know everyone says it, but they really do make the writing bit rewarding. Sorry for the delay in updating. My summer class started this past week and I already want to bang my head against the wall. Imagine being taught the exact opposite of everything you believe in and you kind of have a glimpse of what I'm going through.

I made this chap extra long because, well, for one I just had to get it all out of my system and it didn't feel right breaking it into smaller chaps and two, I don't know when the next installment will be. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Chapter 2 - Funk

The days seemed to flow in a rush after the guys' KISS performances and came to an abrupt stand still once the throw down was issued by Vocal Adrenaline at the beginning of the following week. Puck got sidetracked into his play for revenge and had yet to implement his plan concerning Tina but that was probably a good thing. He had already nixed his original plan, and the one that followed, and the one after that. This planned seduction business was a lot more involved and difficult than he had thought it was going to be.

The original idea had been to corner Tina either after rehearsal or at her locker and then put his sweet moves on her. There were just two problems with this plan: one, Tina was never by herself at any time when Glee was involved and two, she only visited her locker before school and right after final bell and was always accompanied by Mercedes or Artie. She was always behind that wheelchair using it as a barricade against him at any other times that could have been attempted. It was almost as if she was on to him and doing all she could to purposely avoid him.

Working at Sheets 'n Things to pay off those damn tires was also cutting into his mojo time. True, the mindless monotony of price gunning and then shelving pillows left him plenty of time to tweak his plans, but having to cater to Sandy on a queen trip was worse than all of Rachel's most annoying, controlling moments combined. While he was pretending to rearrange a stack of towels, he heard mumblings coming from the next aisle over. Of course, this would usually be ignored, but he could tell that the mumblings weren't English.

Peaking around the side of the shelves, Puck could easily see Tina and miraculously she was alone. 'This is just perfect,' he said to himself and slowly began his approach from behind her. She was crouched down, cellphone wedged between her ear and shoulder with three packs of sheets in her hands. As the argument got more heated, he could see a little twitch under Tina's right eye and her lips get a pinch to them. It was just wrong for someone to look that cute and do-able when they were irritated. She finally let out a strained goodbye and slammed the phone back into her bag with one hand and threw one of the packages back onto the floor as she stood.

"Hey, I'm the one who has to pick that up, you know!"

Tina gasped. 'Oh, please no. Why does this have to happen now?' She had been extremely careful over the past week to never be by herself at any time while she was at school for fear that Puck would find some way to talk to her. She knew that he had to know that she had been staring at him and that he would want to know why and then milk those reasons for all they were worth. Well, she had seen what happened to those that went through the ringer with Puck and she was not going to be the next victim; no matter how badly her body wished otherwise.

"S-s-sorry about that, Puck," she said quietly as she knelt down to retrieve the sheets at the same time that he did. They reached for the item, but Tina was careful to keep her fingers to the edges, she was not going to fall prey to the spark of touch that all those romance books went on and on about, however that didn't prevent her from making the next biggest mistake possible: looking into those big, golden brown eyes of his. "Just letting off some steam."

"Yeah, I could hear you across the store," he said as they both rose to stand. "So new sheets, planning something I ought to know about?" he asked with a wicked waggle of eyebrows.

"What? NO! No, no, no, no. My dad just wanted new sheets for our guestroom since my yiyi is going to be spending the next few months with us."

"Your what?" Puck asked with a confused look on his face.

"Yiyi, it's grandfather in Chinese. He usually spends half the year with my uncle's family and the other half with us."

"And you need new sheets just for that? What's wrong with whatever you already got?"

"Even you should know that you take care of those you respect in your family. Yiyi's been through a lot and he deserves to be taken care of in his old age to the highest degree," she said with a very haughty, deep voice, obviously repeating something she'd heard repeatedly. "Apparently, my dad thinks that means Egyptian cotton sheets with 600 thread count in ecru not cornflower blue, or sage, or pale butter." An exasperated breath escaped from the corner of her mouth causing her bangs to fly up and flop back over her eyes.

"So wait, that was your dad on the phone? Were you yelling at him in Chinese?"

"I wasn't yelling, but yeah," she said turning her back on him. 'Must get away. Puck is too close, too many questions. This won't end well. Oh, but it could end so purrrrfectly well.' Her mind and hormones were having another battle and her body was caught in the middle. "Where else would I have gotten a name like Chang? Not many non-Asians I can bet you that."

"Well, yeah, that part's a given, but what about the Cohen part? Or did your folks just add that on for the heck of it?" Puck said from dangerously close to her right ear causing Tina to jerk to a stop. He leaned in the slightest bit and smelled her hair. A deliciously weird mix of hair products and honeysuckle started to imprint itself alongside his mental image of Tina.

Was she hallucinating or did he just take a big wiff of her hair. Tina's heart started tapping out a quickstep painfully against her ribs. She took a steadying breath through her nose. 'I just have to make it to the end of the aisle, then to the checkouts, and then freedom.' Mistake number two of the day occurred once the tantalizing mix of some kind of spicy aftershave, laundry soap, and something uniquely male, uniquely Puck, reached her nostrils.

"My-my mom decided it sounded too weird changing her name to just Chang, so she hyphenated it. And why are you so interested anyway?" she whispered as she angled her face to look at him. "I thought I was just another one of the bottom feeders. As in, totally beneath your notice outside of Glee."

"Ouch, Stutterfly, that really hurts, " he said as he raised his hand to his chest dramatically. "That may have been true at one time and while I do have to maintain my badass reputation that doesn't mean that I don't notice people. Especially when those people happen to be smokin' hot."

Tina gaped at him for a second then let out a giggle and brought her hand up to her mouth. "You've finally lost it, Puck. Sniffing the bath oils a little too often has finally caught up and caused you to lose your mind. Don't worry," she said as she patted his shoulder in a comforting manner. "I won't let anyone else know about your problem. But seriously, ease up on the fume huffing." She gave a final pat to his shoulder and once again tried to make her escape.

"Oh no, I don't think so," Puck whispered as he trapped her smaller body between his and the shelf filled with half priced black satin pillows. One arm was above her head with the other hovering near her waist in case she decided to duck and bolt passed him. "I'm being totally honest here, Tina. I think you're a hot, little sexpot and you wanna know somethin' else? I haven't been able to get you out of my head. And I think you're in the same boat. Don't think I didn't notice you staring me down while I was up on stage last week." He paused to admire the blush creeping along her cheekbones and down her neck. It was then that he noticed that his right hand had gripped her waist and his thumb was lightly running along the shape of her inner hip.

Tina found herself drowning in Puck's nearness it was all she could do just to maintain her ground and not pass out let alone try and get any words to come out of her mouth. And then she felt it. Puck had raised his hand from where it had been teasing along her waist and was pushing the hair out of her face and running his slightly calloused fingertips along her jaw line making shivers run down her spine, the little hairs on her arms stand up, and force her eyelashes to flutter and close. There was no way for her stop the half moan, half whimper from being heard by him.

"I know you don't believe me, but I think I could be really good with you and I'm not going to give up until you admit it, too," he leaned forwards and placed a kiss right below her ear where it connected with her neck causing her to tense and take in a rushed breath. "You should go now. Wouldn't want yiyi to show up and not have his sheets."

With that final statement, he pulled back and walked off towards the bath fixtures aisle. Tina could feel her legs shaking and didn't trust herself to be able to walk unaffectedly just yet, but knew that she had to get out of there with the little bit of her sanity she still had intact.

*****  
"What took you so long? You should have been here almost twenty minutes ago," Mr. Chang said as his daughter walked through the back door into the kitchen area of his restaurant.

"Sorry, baba. I ran into someone from school while I was shopping and then had to go home and change." Tina sat on a stack of boxed cooking oil and began to swap out her normal boots for a pair of low heels. Instead of her normal plaid and black goth wear and arm warmers she was now in a traditional Chinese dress with little cap sleeves. Even though she was still in her color comfort zone of black with splashes of red, the large, intricate flowers' embroidery and beadwork and cut of the dress made her appear to be a totally different person, especially when coupled with her minimalist makeup and updo hairstyle.

"Well, hurry up. I need Michael back here. He was willing to cover up front until you got here so you better apologize and thank him."

"Yes, baba," Tina sighed as she walked out of the server's door and headed toward the hostess station. Mike Chang was leaning against the raised podium of the counter, doodling on the seating chart and barely managing to keep himself from going into one of his dance solos as he bobbed along to the music coming through on the house speakers. "Hey! Other Asian, my dad wants you back in the kitchen. Thanks for covering for me."

"Hey, cuz! It was no biggie. It's slow right now so-"

"SHhhh! Don't say that word!"

"What word?" Mike looked at his cousin, puzzled.

"The s-word," she let out a little breath at his still empty face. "S.L.O.W. If you say something like that it's just like asking for the worst possible thing to happen next."

Mike couldn't help but laugh at Tina's superstitious outburst. "Alright, alright. You win this one, T. So what was your old man up to before you came up?"

"He was cleaning out the woks. It looked like he was getting ready for a cook off."

"Sweetness. See ya after closing, T."

Tina just sighed as Mike ambled back to the kitchens. Trust him to say the s-word on a weekend. The family's business was run as a normal sit down restaurant with about thirty tables plus take out orders during the week but on the weekends they converted into a buffet in order to capitalize on large groups and first timers. It was an investment that had seemed to pay off as they were kept near maximum output throughout the whole week.

Looking over the seating chart, she saw that there were only about five tables filled at the moment which was pretty sparse for the pre-dinner hour on a Saturday. But it would be picking up within the next few minutes then nothing and then a packed house up until closing time. Just thinking about it, Tina was already regretting her shoe choice, but they needed to be broken in before she started dancing in them for the practice sessions before regionals.

It felt weird to think that in about two weeks everything would be decided about whether Glee would be allowed to stay or if Coach Sylvester would once again be getting exactly what she wanted. The clock on the stand began to beep, drawing Tina out of her thoughts. Quarter before five, meaning time to quality check the buffet and call back for the kitchen to restock whatever was low before the early dinner crowd started waltzing in.

Taking one of the order pads with her, Tina cruised along the buffet stations writing up low dishes and straightening up bowls and plates as she went. The relaxed pace made it easier for her mind to clear and thoughts of one, Noah Puckerman to rise to the forefront unannounced. 'What was with him any way? How could one person be so sexually intoxicating and yet sosocially off-putting at the same time?' It just wasn't right. 'What did he mean when he said we would be good together?'

Similar thoughts popped up now and again in her mind for the next hour as she went through the practiced motions of seating diners and making sure everything in the dining room ran smoothly. At six o'clock, her mother showed up in her temple clothes and after a quick kiss to Tina's cheek walked into the kitchen to see her husband.

"You seem distracted, Shu Mei."

"Oh, Yiyi. I didn't see you come in," she turned and gave the older man a hug. Her grandfather was still nearly as tall as Mike and had a full head of salt and pepper hair. "I have a lot on my mind, I guess, and it's just not busy enough to distract me," Tina said with a laugh.

"Ah yes. To have the problems of youth would be a treat at my age," he said with a crinkle eyed smile.

"Yeah, I know they can't be all that bad but they sure seem like it right now," Tina said quietly with a pout.

"Hmmm, yes. Maybe you should go somewhere where you can think it over. So what do you say to letting me take over her and you head out with your mother? And then, if that doesn't work, you and I can sit together before bed."

Tina couldn't help but laugh. Her grandfather was a good man, but he was aging though he refused to admit it most days. "Are you sure you can handle a Saturday night crowd, Yi yi? You know it can get pretty nasty if the people don't get their food."

"Oh, I know quite well. Don't worry, I'm sure even as an old man I can manage at least for the next hour or so."

"If you say so," Tina said and leaned up to kiss his cheek and went over the plan she had set up for herself for the next hour before the second rush was likely to start. By the time she was done explaining, her mother was walking out from the kitchen towards her.

"Your father is insane. Did you know that he is trying to have a race with your cousin to see who can finish the most dishes by the end of the night? Ack, I don't know what to do with that man some days."

Tina took her mother by the elbow, grabbing her keys, and headed out the door heading for the car. Listening to her mother complain about the childish antics of her father was much preferable to the debate that was currently happening in her own head.

*****  
"I don't care if you are a gentile, that baby will be going to temple with the rest of us while it is still in my house," Mrs. Puckerman said to Quinn as she shut the door on her side of the car. "And you," she said pointing a finger at Puck. "I expect you to stay awake and pay attention. I don't want to have to lie to Rabbi Greensburg and tell him that you have narcolepsy if you fall asleep again."

Puck rolled his eyes as he straightened his yarmulke and followed his mother and sister from the parking lot, up the stairs to the temple doors. He sat on the semi-designated family pew, which was pretty much in the middle of the other pews, as close to the outside aisle as he could get. Quinn sat next to him, then his little sister and then his mother. He looked around and tried not to fidget with his shirt sleeves; it just didn't feel right not having his forearms exposed. Then he suddenly felt Quinn's sharp elbow in his rib just as the opening processional music was starting. "What?" he whispered.

"Look," she said as she pointed to a pair of women sitting down a few pews up and across the aisle from where they were sitting.

He couldn't really tell what she was getting at. The one with shorter brown hair looked to be about his mom's age and the other he couldn't see her face, but just looking at her soft body he could tell she had to be young, maybe around his age at the youngest. "Who is it?" he mouthed back to Quinn still trying to catch a glimpse of the girl's face. He was pretty sure he'd seen her before he could vaguely remember seeing a similar hairstyle the last time he was here. Not that he necessarily noticed hair it was just something to keep him awake.

"Keep watching," Quinn whispered which earned her a poke to the knee and a glare to keep quiet.

Puck kept his eyes glued to the black haired girl but she must've been looking in her purse or something because her face was still turned from him. I wasn't until the rabbi and cantor took the final steps to the podium mic that he got a clear look at her. 'Okay. Smooth black hair, full lips, asian eyes... Wait!' Puck gulped in air as he gripped the armrest with one hand. That was Tina. Tina was here, in the same building as him, which could only mean one thing. There was another known Jew added to his population. 'So, I was right after all. Good God, she is too fuckin' pretty for her own good.'

If blinking were unnecessary, Puck would never close his eyes. To him, the sight of Tina in all her natural beauty was too great a sight to turn away from. His attention would have remained with her too if it weren't for his cellphone vibrating in his pocket. Opening it as discretely as possible, he read the new text message.

::She really is pretty all de-gothified ~Quinn::

::gorgeous as a faln angel~Puck::

::ez Romeo. made ne progress w her?::

::idk tell u l8r::

With that, Puck tucked away his phone and focused back on Tina. He definitely knew that he had been right about her before and seeing her like this just made all the feelings he was having for her jump into overdrive. What he had learned about her while he was at work had just added a dimension to her that he hadn't known about. He now had an idea about how important her family was to her, how she felt about loyalty and respect, but also her feisty, sarcastic side that she got when she was making fun of those same people. She was damn near perfect and he was going to do everything possible to make sure he didn't make a complete fool of himself trying to get her to think the same things about himself.

*****  
After service, Tina and her mom made a quick exit through the side door to avoid the funneling and meddling yentas that would be holding up traffic as they tried to gain favor with the rabbi. No, they had to get back to the restaurant before all those same people decided that they were feeling peckish and just had to have a bite of their national cuisine: kung pao beef with a side of sweet and sour shrimp. Somehow the rules governing Kosher were completely ignored when it came to the magic of MSG and pork fried rice.

As she walked in the door, she saw Yiyi with his hair completely disheveled, as though he'd been running his hands through it repeatedly, and ink stains on his hands. "What's wrong, Yiyi, more than you could handle?" Tina asked as she hung up her jacket.

"Nonsense. There's nothing Yiyi can't handle." A loud crash came from the direction of the kitchen followed by a loud back and forth exchange in Chinese. Yiyi sighed and let his shoulders slump. "Except my own sons it seems who decided it'd be a good idea to make cooking into a sport."

"Oh, is Uncle Li back there? He knows he's not supposed to come in on Saturdays. Alright, Yiyi, I'll get everything straightened out. Why don't you go make yourself a pot of tea?" Tina moved to pat her grandfather in between the shoulders and gently guided him towards the back of house. As she passed through the server's door, the male arguing that could be heard in the dining room was drowned out by the sound of a female voice dishing out guilt and making all the men agree to play nice with one another.

Tina had just called back for refills and replacements on the buffet when the first group arrived for their post-temple meal. "Hello, welcome to the Iron Dragon. How many will there be tonight?"

**  
There had been a steady stream of families and groups wanting tables that had only just now seemed to be reaching an end. Seeing a break, Tina took a moment to flex her feet. She could already feel a blister on one foot and had already had to put a band aid on the heel of the other where the shoe had rubbed the skin raw. "Please be ten o'clock," she whispered to herself and then looked up at the clock to see it mocking her at the same time that the front door bell chimed. "Just fantastic." She stood up to her full height and moved over to the hostess podium. "Good evening, welcome to the I-i-i-" she couldn't finish the sentence because there before her stood her mental tormentor and some of the females in his life.

Tina cleared her throat and told herself to calm down. "Table or booth?" she said looking to Mrs. Puckerman. Hoping she would say booth so she could keep Puck as far from herself as possible.

"Table."

'Of course.' "Not a problem. Follow me, please," Tina said as she made a few marks on the seating chart and grabbed a handful of napkin wrapped silverware. She led them to their table and waited until they started to get out of jackets and whatnot before speaking again. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Water. Iced Tea. Lemonade." She wrote down the last two on the order pad and then looked up at Puck. "And for you?"

"I'll have a water since you make me feel like I'm drowning," he whispered to her once everyone else had moved off to fill their plates.

"Please, not here, Puck," she said to him as she walked away to fill their drink orders.

"Puck! Stop pestering Shu Mei and let the poor girl get back to work," Mrs. Puckerman said from her spot near the fried rice.

Puck looked confusedly at Tina as she filled the drink order. Shu Mei? Well, no wonder he had never realized that her family owned this restaurant if she used a code name. 'Things just keep getting more and more interesting with this girl.'

*****  
After days of psychological warfare with the members of Vocal Adrenaline, it was finally time to strike back in the one way that could possibly bring them back down to Earth: Funk. While setting up behind the shadow curtain, Puck thought about getting close to Tina, but she was still avoiding him and acting skittish. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't try his best while they were on stage

Almost the entire time they were on stage, he was no more than two steps away from her. He could hear every breath she took and would swear he could feel her footsteps. Somehow, she managed to get to the other side of the stage without him for their final pose and was one of the first to exit, which irritated him.

"See you at regionals, punks."

It didn't take long for him to be the only person left backstage as he took his time taking of his punk bling and changing shirts. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear anyone behind him until he felt a finger poke him in the side causing him to spin around quickly.

"Shit, Chang! Do you have to be so damn spooky? Warn a person why don'tcha," Puck said as he resumed putting his shirt on.

"I called your name, but obviously you weren't paying attention. Look, what is it that you want? All the looks and whatever are really freaking me out."

Puck looked her over from head to toe, trying to make her fidget. She was still dressed in her performance clothes and was gripping her messenger bag tightly to her chest. "I want you. I know this is gonna sound like something possessed me, but I want to know you better. I want to spend time with you outside of Glee," he walked up to her and was glad to see her stand her ground and not cower. "I want to hold you," he rubbed her arm. "I want to smell you," he buried his head in the crook of her neck. "I want to have everything about you memorized in my mind." He placed another kiss to her neck and then took a step back. "Is that clear enough for ya?"

As soon as Puck had stepped into her personal bubble again it was all she could do to keep herself from winding her arms over his shoulders and pulling him into a toe curling kiss. All of the sidelong glances, and cheesy come ons were doing their job and wearing her down and turning her on. She closed her eyes when she felt him kiss her again. Part of her felt cold and bereft when he stopped touching her.

Taking in a slow breath, she looked into his eyes. "How do I know you aren't just using me? You don't have that great a track record. And what about Quinn? And the baby? And Artie? You know he and I are kind of involved, right?"

"Did he actually ask you out? Does he make you forget to breath just being in the same space? No, I didn't think so. As for Quinn, she already knows how I feel about you. And she and I may have history and never be completely out of each other's lives because of the baby, but what I felt for her is nothing compared to you. So what do you say, give a chance to a guy trying to make a change?"

"Is that your way of asking me out?"

"Uhm, yeah. I'm making this up as I go. If you want something more poetic you'll have to wait for me to threaten one of the other goth punks and get the right words for ya."

Tina couldn't help but laugh. 'What could a trial run hurt anyway?' "Alright, Puck, but on one condition."

"Name it, Ti."

"We keep this under wraps until school's over. I need time to let Artie down and I don't want to get hot and heavy while you and Quinn are still on the baby train. Deal?" Tina asked as she held out her hand.

"I'm not sure I like it, but what's a few more weeks waiting with such a great prize at the end," he said as he took her hand and raised it to his lips.

"Good. Now walk me to my car before I end up being late for work again," she said happily as she headed towards the door.

"Whatever you want, beautiful."

* * *

A/N: If you're wondering why I gave Tina a "code name," I thought it would give the story an extra element. You can look up Shu Mei on any good Chinese translator and there are two possible meanings: 1. comfortable beauty or /gentle plum. I thought they both described Tina's persona (at least how I intend to write it), plus I thought it would be easier to read than the traditional word for granddaughter (sunnu) and this way, her whole family could us it.

As always, all reviews -even the anonymous ones- are appreciated, read, and saved... no seriously, I have a folder dedicated to them in my email :D


	3. Chapter 3 Journey

A/N: Thanks for the story alerts, fav story, fav author adds... Now just to get the reviews at the same level, lol. Feels great to know that I'm not all that crazy and other people are enjoying the stories that play around in my mind.

* * *

Chapter 3 - Journey

Monday was once again rearing its ugly head as another weekend went by too quickly. Puck had spent most of his Saturday helping Mercedes' dad move what few things Quinn had out of his house and into their spare bedroom on the other side of town. It was weird being able to sleep in his own room again after months of sleeping on the couch so Quinn could have a real bed. Sunday before work, he had found himself wondering if the baby was kicking while he was playing video games. He had grown accustomed to feeling the bumps and movements while he would sit on the couch with a game paused periodically and Quinn would be sitting nearby doing homework or whatnot.

He had tried texting Tina to pull himself out of his thoughts, but he supposed she was busy as she didn't respond until hours later once he'd forgotten what his original purpose had been.

Puck woke up early after a restless night's sleep and decided to try to get to school before first period to see if he could catch Tina by herself for a few minutes. Now that they had come to an ... agreement, he hoped that she would ditch the losers and leave herself open. As luck would have it, when Puck turned the corner to the sophomore hall of lockers there was Tina rummaging around in hers.

The hall was pretty much devoid of life besides the two of them. As he approached, he saw a tiny smile creep up to her lips only to dim when she noticed the sleven cup in his hand.

Puck rolled his eyes at her distrust and held the cup out to her. "Chill out, Asian. It's coffee with an extra espresso shot. Heard somewhere around that you vampires aren't fans of the morning light."

Tina looked at him skeptically until the smell of hot coffee hit her nose. "Oh, sweet, caffeinated nectar of life!" Puck laughed at her absurdity while she took the cup eagerly and took a timid sip. It was just as he said. Straight, unadulterated coffee with an extra kick ... and sugar. Now, how did he know that she liked it dark and sweet?

"I saw you dump like ten packets into your own one time," Puck said sheepishly to her unasked question.

"Oh. What are you doing here so early? I didn't think you rolled into school until at least third period."

"What? And miss seeing you?" he said, pushing a bit of hair back from her face. "Not a chance."

Tina wasn't sure if she wanted to sigh or gag at that awful line. She settled for a small snort. "That has got to be the worst line ever. You need to remove it from your repertoire."

"Believe what you want. So, what were you up to this weekend?"

"Oh you know, just the usual shopping for bondage supplies and new lingerie. I saw a whip that looked like it'd be lots of fun."

"I should've guessed you'd be into all that kinky stuff," Puck said, eyebrow quirked, pulling her flush with his body.

"My gosh, you're easy," Tina said with a breathy laugh. Surprisingly, she made no attempt to move away from Puck's warm body. "I had to work, Puck. I did homework during the mornings and then evening shifts at the restaurant. You did know that that food doesn't just appear through ancient Chinese magic, right?"

"Yeah, what was up with that? Why did my mom call you Shoes?"

"It's Shu Mei. That's my Chinese name. It's the name that is only used with family, sorta like how Noah would be for you, I guess. She's the one who works at the restaurant, not Tina. So don't you dare call me that with anyone else around if you value your life," she said with a pointed glare and a poke to his chest. "I don't think anyone else has ever taken the time to make the connection," she finished quietly, not meeting his eyes.

Puck tucked his finger under her chin to lift her eyes. "People are stupid. And I'm glad no one else has put two and two together, otherwise I woulda had to fight my way to the front of the line to get you." Tina huffed at his words. "You really have no idea how gorgeous you are, do you?" Puck asked searching her eyes. "Well, I guess I'll have to fix that."

He trailed his finger from her chin to brush against her left cheek, allowing his fingers to linger on her skin as he lowered his face to hers. Tina felt him closing in and closed her eyes with a sigh as her free hand gripped the lapel of his jacket. His lips landed somewhere in between on her cheek near her lips. Something little more than a brush of skin against skin. Puck pulled away to see her eyes flutter open with confusion written all over her face.

"I can hear the Queen and the Diva coming down the hall." Tina nodded. She could already hear Kurt and Mercedes arguing even though they weren't in sight yet. "I promised I wouldn't let the cat outta the bag until you were ready," he briefly stroked the side of her stomach with his thumb causing the muscles there to contract. "Be thinkin' about you." With a wink, he turned and disappeared around the corner before Kurt and Mercedes appeared in his place.

"Tina. Yoohoo, Earth to Tina," Kurt said as he waved a hand in front of her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing. Just drifted off. Morning, you know."

"Uh-huh. Drink your coffee. So what was up with that?" asked Mercedes.

"Puck doesn't usually end up showing his face until at least lunch," Kurt added.

"Oh, uhmm." '_Come on! Think, Tina. Think_!' "He was just paying off a debt," Tina said as she raised the coffee cup.

"Debt? What kind of bet could you possibly have had with Puck?" Mercedes asked with narrowed eyes, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Oh, he tried to say that Mario for the Super Nintendo was more successful than Mortal Combat. So, of course I had to set him straight. He was too stubborn to think he was wrong and made it into a bet," she said as she began heading towards her first class.

Kurt and Mercedes followed suit, but gave each other the look that said, "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see pigs fly."

* * *

News of Sue Sylvester being a judge at regionals and the subsequent showdown with Mr. Schue in Principal Figgins' office spread faster than mono through the football team. The resulting devastation that each member of the Glee club felt was deeper than the funk that they had spiraled into the previous two weeks because of Vocal Adrenaline. That evening, as each student filed in to Mr. Schue's apartment, the black cloud they each carried grew blacker and heavier.

Sitting on the sofa, Puck wanted to wrap his arm around Tina and pull her to his chest. It made his gut ache sitting so close, seeing her in so much pain, and knowing that he couldn't do anything about it because there were other people around to see it. Looking to the kitchen, he could see that Quinn wasn't doing much better, but she was a trooper and would do what she had to do to keep a strong face for everyone else.

"... the point, Mr. Schue? Coach Sylvester's one of the judges. She's going to crush us."

"Artie, you don't know that."

"Yes, we do. She told us at Cheerios practices," Santana said as she pushed the pizza box away dejectedly.

"Yeah, she said, 'I'm going to crush Glee club,'" commented Brittney.

"The whole freakin' year," Puck said, leaning forward to rest his clasped hands between his knees. "All that hard work for nothin'."

A great choking, sniffling sound came from the middle occupant of the sofa. "I'm sorry. I just really love you guys. You know how many Facebook friends I had before I joined Glee club? Two, my parents." Tears were trekking their way down both of Tina's cheeks at this point. "Rachel was right. Being part of something special, it made me special. I just can't believe it's going to be over in a week."

"Wait, who says it's going to be over?" Finn said from his spot on Rachel's armrest.

"Please," Mercedes said, rolling her eyes. "You think Puck and Santana are even going to acknowledge my existence once we're not in Glee club together anymore?"

"She has a point," Puck said in a gruff, scratchy voice.

"Mr. Schuester, do you think that instead of nominating songs we can all just go around the room and talk about all the things that we loved about Glee club this year?"

* * *

After nearly an hour of crying and repressed laughter, the students slowly filed back out of the apartment. Mercedes tried to get Tina to pile into the car along with Kurt and Quinn, but she had said she had a ride. The truth was she wanted to get some time alone with Puck. Going through a session of emoting had left her drained and she wanted, almost needed, to be held close by someone. It really had been torture to sit next to him and not bury her head into the crook of his neck and just let all the tears flow until she cried herself dry.

"Do you need a ride?"

Tina looked down into the sad eyes of Artie. She still hadn't told him about whatever it was between herself and Puck yet. The time just didn't seem right, plus she really had no idea how to even have the conversation. Saying something like, "Well, I just don't think I like you that way anymore. Oh, and I've found someone else who happens to be bipedal," just wouldn't cut it.

"Nah, it's okay. I'm just waiting on Mike to bring the car around. He couldn't find a good spot and had to park on the other side of the block."

"You're sure?" he said looking up at her as his dad came around to the passenger side of their van.

"Yeah, it's cool. See you tomorrow." That said, she leaned over to hug him. She watched the van drive off, lost within her thoughts.

"You know, if I were a lesser person, I could consider that cheating."

Tina felt as if she had just jumped out of her skin. Spinning around, she punched Puck in the shoulder. "Jerk! You scared the beejezus outta me!"

"Damn! You got a nice right hook there, gothika," he said, rubbing the area she hit which did actually tingle with little pins and needles.

"I have an even meaner scissor kick, so you better not scare me like that again."

"I'll keep that in mind. You waiting on someone?"

"Yeah," she said looking up to his eyes. "You." He looked a bit surprised at her words, but she also saw his pupils dilate. She stepped closer and tucked her head beneath his chin. His arms automatically wrapped around her shoulders. Tina took a deep breath. Puck smelled like she remembered, only now a little less soap and cologne; it was more of the pure male smell that was unique to him.

"Do you have any idea how much it sucked not being able to do this while we were in there?" Puck said quietly. "I had to clench my fists every freakin' time I heard you sniffle or do that shudder thing when you were trying to breathe deep."

"I know," Tina whispered as she wound her arms under his jacket to curl over his shoulder blades. "I wanted so bad to just lean over and cry into your shoulder. Puck," she lifted her head to look at him. "Could you take me home? Please."

Puck nodded and lowered his hand to the small of her back and guided her through the parking garage to his truck. He opened the passenger side door and helped her get in before closing the door and walking around the hood to his side.

The ride to Tina's house was quiet except for the low hum of the radio and Tina speaking every now and again to point out which turns to take. He pulled up in front of a nice looking brick, ranch-style house. Putting the truck into park, Puck turned off the engine and looked over to the sullen girl in his passenger seat.

"Hey, stop looking like that." Tina sniffed and looked over to him. "I can't stand seeing you look like this," Puck said as he took her cheek into his hand. He hadn't meant to do it, but he leaned in further until his lips connected with hers. It started with just the chaste brush of lips against lips until Tina slid her tongue out to moisten her lips and ran along the seam of his lips at the same time. That one seemingly innocent action caused him to groan and pull her deeper into the kiss.

He kissed back gently, licking the outline of her lips and lightly sucking her bottom lip into his own mouth. He heard her gasp appreciatively at the light pressure he administered to her bottom lip and ran his tongue over her bottom lip once more. As she gasped, her mouth opened and he took it, eagerly exploring every incredible inch of it. She matched his exploration with her own tongue, weaving an intricate dance of untested passion. He pulled her closer, one of his hands slowly inching down the side of her body. He could feel every single, seductive curve that she had.

Tina could not remember something that had felt even remotely like the kiss Puck was giving her. Her lips tingled. The moment their tongues touched it was as if every one of her tastebuds turned into nerve endings and were firing at full blast. Everything seemed to tighten; her throat, her breasts, her stomach, the apex of her thighs. The danger zone was coming in to sight. Knowing it was better to stop now, Tina ran her hand along Puck's jacket and slowly, very slowly pulled away.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Tina's were still closed, but she had a little grin on her face. "I'll have to remember this as the first time I was able to make you smile."

Her eyes flew open and a pout replaced the smile. Puck laughed and leaned back in to plant a kiss on her nose. He pulled back, opened his door and walked around to let her out. "So, I guess you're going to play the good guy and walk me to my door, is that it?" Tina said hopping out onto the pavement.

"Well, it looks a lot better than pushing you into the grass. I'm guessing Yiyi wouldn't like that, especially after he just watched me kiss his granddaughter, it looks like."

"What!" Tina looked to the front window and sure enough, there was Yiyi with the curtain pulled back and an impassive look on his face. "Oh, great. I'll see you tomorrow, Puck."

"Huh? You don't want me to-"

She pecked his cheek and shook her head. "Just be glad it was him and not someone else. I'll sort it out first and then you can meet him. If they allow you to live afterwards, that is. Punishment for trying to seduce the family's princess could end up in death." She actually did laugh at his look of shock and pushed him towards the truck to break his thoughts. "I'm joking, Puck. But you probably should get going now."

"If you say so. Text me an' let me know how it goes." Puck turned to get into the truck and watched as Tina reached her front door and stepped inside. He finally started the engine and pulled away once the door was closed and the porch light extinguished.

* * *

A loud chirping sound interrupted the quiet of the living room. Puck reached for his phone sitting on the side table and opened the newest message.

::Crisis averted. No angry asians after you tonite::

Puck smiled and started texting back. ::Good to kno::

"Who're you talking to?" asked his little sister, Sarah, from her seat at the coffee table.

"None of your business. Finish your homework. It's almost time for bed."

She stuck her tongue out at him, but went back to what she was doing.

::B on ur best behavior whn u meet tho::

::Dont doubt my charm::

::I dnt think that charm works on old men w pretty granddaughters and DEF wont on my dad::

::U dnt kno that. So u gonna tell me what happend?::

::Yeah whn i c u 2moro. ;) xoxo::

Puck stared at the last message and debated about how to respond. In the past, he would have taken it as a sign to switch over to sexting, but it didn't seem right with Tina. This was about more than hooking up for him; this had the potential to be something real.

::lookn fwd to it. sweet dreams, beautiful::

* * *

Tina didn't get a chance to talk to Puck the following day during school. There seemed to always be other people around. Afterward, she had to hurry home to change and get to the restaurant. Tuesdays could be unpredictable and she was hoping for an uneventful night so she could focus on finishing her homework for English.

Sitting on the stool at the counter, Tina was correcting a punctuation exercise while stopping periodically to either seat guests or answer the phone for takeout orders. She was in the middle of a tricky comma sequence, when the door chimes went off announcing more guests.

"Hi, welcome to Iron Dragon," she said without looking up.

Puck walked up to the hostess podium. Tina looked as pretty as he remembered her being in her "work clothes". This time, she was in a blue dress with some kind of flower overlay on it and her hair was piled up on her head with lots of spiral curls falling here and there. She looked like a movie star in his mind. "Hey there, Shoes."

Tina perked her head up as the sexy, baritone voice reached her ears. There stood Puck, hands in pockets, looking at her with that stupid grin of his.

"Puck, what are you doing here?" she said, lowering her voice and glancing to the side.

"I came here for food like everyone else. And to get a look at the most gorgeous girl I know who was supposed to talk to me at some point today."

Rolling her eyes, Tina picked up the order pad and gave Puck a hard stare. "Do you know what you want?"

"Oh yeah, but I'm being kept at arm's distance from it," he said with a gleam in his eye. Tina looked at him with the universal "give me one good reason why I shouldn't smack you" look. "Alright, alright. I need one chicken with broccoli and one sweet and spicy pork."

"Just two for tonight?" she said turning to put the order on the order wheel.

"Yeah. Just me and the brat. So spill it."

Tina shrugged as she settled back onto the stool. Thinking back, the conversation she ended up having after she entered the house went much differently than she could have ever guessed. "Not much to say. He just asked the normal questions, you know. Who was that? How do you know him?"

"That's it?" Puck asked skeptically.

"Pretty much."

"You are lucky it was me and not my son."

Puck spun around at the sound of the voice behind him. "Good God! Do all Chinese have creepy ninja skills?"

"We prefer to call them Wu Shu skills. So, this is the young man who thinks he can kiss my granddaughter without the family's consent."

"Yiyi, you said you'd play nice," Tina said from her spot behind the counter.

"Don't sweat it, Ti," Puck said and extended his hand to the older man. "Noah Puckerman. If I'd known I needed permission, I would've gone to you first instead of working to wear this one down," he said pointing to Tina. "She doesn't give in easily."

Yiyi let out a chuckle and took Puck's hand. "No, she can be quite stubborn when she wants to be. I'm Chang Xiao Shen, but you may call me Yiyi, everyone else does."

"See, you were worried about nothing," Puck said as he looked to Tina.

"No. I told you, he was the easy one. Just wait until you end up meeting my mom or worse, my father. Those two will be bad. If it's not my mom thinking her prayers for sending her a nice, Jewish son-in-law have been answered, it'll be my dad giving you the third degree trying to figure out what your 'intentions' are," she said with air quotes.

"Yes, those two are quite the pair," Yiyi said as he looked over Puck. "But I'm willing to go along with my granddaughter. You seem decent enough, just be warned. You break her heart foolishly, you will feel the wrath of a Chinese grandfather."

"I was planning to avoid that anyway, but noted," Puck said with a nod of his head.

"Yes, see that you do."

The two men continued to stare at each other, both trying to size up the other and feel out where they stood. There was a ding of the takeout bell which broke them out of the trance of male observations. Tina walked to the window, grabbed the bag, and started to ring up the order.

"Ten seventy-five."

Puck handed over a twenty and waited for the change. Stuffing the bills back in his wallet, his fingers traced over the back over her hand when she handed over the bag containing his order. He leaned in and left a quick kiss on her cheek. "See ya tomorrow, Ti," he whispered as he pulled away from her.

A hand went up to Tina's cheek without her notice as she watched Puck walk out of the restaurant. She had to remind herself to breathe as her chest had gotten really tight and her heart was now pounding much faster than it should have been. There was a low chuckle from behind her causing her hand to drop as she turned to face her grandfather.

"Ah, young love. Reminds me of how I used to pursue your grandmother."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. And should he do anything that I might have done, we may have to set a wedding date now."

"Yiyi!" Tina gasped. She was shocked to hear such things from her grandfather.

"What? I was young once, too."

"Huh, and here I thought you were always this crafty, old man I know."

"You watch your mouth. Really, the nerve of the youth of today," Yiyi said as he crossed his arm and turned up his nose.

Tina laughed as she walked to answer the ringing phone glad for a distraction from her still burning cheek and contrary relative.

* * *

A/N: That's the end for now. I decided to make the part involving regionals, the birth, and after a new chapter, otherwise I would have never gotten this one posted. It took me forever to get the last bit done and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

R/R and let me know what you think. Good, bad, or whatever!


	4. Chapter 4 Bohemian Rhapsody

A/N: I am so incredibly sorry this update has taken so long! It was a triple whammy of writer's block, starting a new job, and dealing with bad medical news. I've got a lot of it under control now, so hopefully I'll be able to be more on top of the updates. Trying to get back into the groove of this story, but it's still not as long as my usual chapters :8

Thanks for the story alerts, fave story, fave author adds... Now just to get the reviews at the same level. Seriously, do you guys know how messed up it is to see that over 100 people read the last update but only 3 wrote a review? Let's try to work on that, please.

* * *

Chapter 3 - Bohemian (Baby) Rhapsody

After the pep talk and the decision to do a medley of Journey songs on Wednesday, it seemed as though the clocks decided to fast forward and before everyone knew it Saturday arrived. The Glee kids and a handful of orchestra members loaded into the bus in the dark, morning hours of Saturday to begin the trek to Columbus.

As she walked up the stairs of the bus, Tina was torn about where to sit. Artie was limited to the pre-established wheelchair lockups, so Tina could either sit across the aisle, in front, or behind him but that still did not solve the issue of where Puck would end up. She was still keeping their entanglement under the radar and definitely couldn't tell Artie for fear he'd pull a repeat of what Finn had done before sectionals. As weird and stressful as it was for her, Tina secretly loved the thrill she felt every time she was near Puck. Every look, every touch sent fire racing through her body; the feelings were surprisingly becoming addictive.

Puck made eye contact with Tina. He was sitting two seats behind Artie. 'Well, that makes that easier,' Tina thought as she sat in the seat in front of Puck. He raised an eyebrow at her, but kept his mouth shut.

"Alright, guys," Mr. Schuester said from the front of the bus. "I just wanted you all to know that I'm really proud of all the hard work that you've done. I know it's still early, so try to get some more sleep, if you can, and stay relaxed. There is no reason to be nervous now."

Tina had a smirk on her face, with a plan forming in her mind. She made a show of yawning, putting her earbuds in, and pulling her jacket hood over her eyes. She sat sideways on the bench seat and somehow wedged her forehead between the back of the seat and the window.

The bus engine came to life along with the radio that was set to some indistinct, easy listening station coming in quietly over the speakers. Tina peeked to see if anyone nearby was watching her, but it seemed that most everyone was taking Mr. Schue's advice to relax. Perfect. She moved around so her hand could tap the back of her seat to get Puck's attention. "Psst, Puck," she whispered after a few taps didn't rouse him. Puck was sitting the same way Tina was and had to shift to face forward in order to hear her.

"What?" he whispered to her. The fingers of his right hand tracing over the back of her hand that was holding the seat between them.

"Pull your hood up and lean your head against the seat."

Puck gave her another raised brow and mouthed why as he leaned to do as she asked.

"So I can do this." Before Puck realized it, the tip of his index finger was engulfed in the warm, wet recesses of Tina's mouth. Her lips brushed against his knuckle followed by her teeth resting against the tougher bit of skin, then she did something that caused his eyes to roll back and him to pinch his lips to keep from groaning. Tina's tongue made a slow circuit around his digit, starting near the knuckle and ending at the tip with a little flick before returning to the underside and a squeezing sensation could be felt along the sides of his finger before he realized what was happening. She was sucking and licking his finger in the same way he hoped one day she would explore another part of him.

"Ti-Tina," Puck groaned as he tried to gain control of himself. With his other hand, he glided his fingers along Tina's jaw getting her to open her eyes. She released his digit with a quiet pop and saw the lust burning in his gaze.

"So, I take it you liked that?" she whispered with a gleam in her eye.

Puck pulled her lips up and touched his to hers as best he could from his limited vantage point. "Fuck yeah, I liked that. You have to be evil to tease me like that."

Tina gave him a dazzling smile and leaned further towards him. "Imagine that times a hundred if we end up winning today." She leaned back and rested her head comfortably on the seat keeping her fingers entwined with Puck's.

"You're going to be the death of me," he whispered to himself a few minutes later.

* * *

"My water broke."

The post-performance high that the Glee kids were riding came to an abrupt standstill. Puck felt his stomach drop out only to lodge itself in his throat. He was going to be sick everywhere. This could not be happening; not here, not now. Looking at Quinn, he could see that there was in fact a little puddle of water on the floor around her shoes.

Moving on autopilot, Puck reached Quinn's side, took her arm and began to walk with her back up the stairs they had just descended moments earlier.

"Quick! Somebody, we need a wheelchair!" Quinn's mom called out from behind him.

* * *

Being in the waiting room was torture. A stream of questions and thoughts seemed to be on a constant loop inside of Tina's head as she paced the small area. Was Quinn okay? They were still weeks away from the due date. Was the baby going to be okay? How was Puck handling this? How would Puck be after the delivery? With a sigh, Tina folded herself into one of the chairs setup along the walls of the waiting room and was trying to distract herself by flipping through the out of date magazines.

Artie tried to smile at her from his place across the coffee table separating them, but Tina couldn't even summon up a weak smile to keep up the charade. She knew that she had to come clean and soon. Keeping up the appearance of the caring girlfriend was getting really difficult when it had to be directed to someone who wasn't stirring her emotions in that way any longer.

A shrill, electronic buzzing sounded from across the room disturbing the expectant silence that had settled over the group. Mr. Schuester fumbled in his inner jacket pocket for his cell phone. His jerky movements causing Tina's eyes to look up expectantly at him.

"Sorry, guys," he mumbled, bringing the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

Rachel's whining diatribe was unmistakable, even all the way across the room. Apparently, Vocal Adrenaline had just finished with their performance and the awards ceremony was going to take place in thirty minutes.

"Okay, Rachel, we'll be there soon," Mr. Schue shut the phone and looked at his kids. "Well, looks like we won't be able to stay any longer if we're -"

Mr. Schue's announcement was cut off as a zombie-like Puck walked through the swinging metal doors into the waiting room. He stopped next to Mr. Schue and had to swallow a few times before he could even manage to whisper, "It's a girl."

Those standing were the first to surround Puck into a tight group hug, filled with lots of back slapping and shoulder grabbing. Tina was one of the last to get close, but the entire time her eyes were focused on Puck's. They each had slow-flowing rivulets of tears making tracks down their faces.

"Okay, okay, guys, I know this is great news, but we really need to be leaving now to get back to the auditorium in time for the award ceremony."

Everyone started to gather their things and slowing began to file out of the small room. Puck stood rooted to the spot, as though he was in a daze and no idea how to make his feet move. Then he felt a cool, slim hand thread itself between the fingers of his right hand. He looked down and found himself looking into Tina's upturned face.

"Hey, are you going to be okay? I could ask Mr. Schue if I could stick around with you guys."

Puck took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he turned himself to face her fully. How was it that she knew exactly what he wanted and needed to hear to break him out of his shock? He raised his left hand to the side of her face into the soft hair there as his thumb gentle brushed her cheekbone. Keeping eye contact, Tina turned her head to place a kiss to his palm and leaned into his touch more.

His breath hitched as Puck watched Tina's eyes drift shut. If only he had realized how much he liked her before his life had become so complicated, how many things would be different right then? Shaking the thought from his mind, he leaned his forehead against hers. "I really wish you would, but you should go be with everyone else. Still have to maintain that distance, right?" he ended with a smirk on his face.

"What if I don't want distance? What if I want to stay right here ... with you?" she whispered, as she glanced up at him.

"Hey, now. Don't be making me have to go back on my promises." He lowered his mouth and left a chaste kiss against her lips and took a small step back. "Get going and when we get home I'll expect you to keep that threat that you gave me this morning.

A mischievous grin crept across Tina's face, causing her eyes to crinkle and a low chuckle to escape. "Oh, you can rest assured that I make good on both my promises and threats, Puckerman." With that, she pulled him down by the knot in his tie for a proper good-bye kiss. Their lips moved against one another lazily until Tina felt the tip of Puck's tongue asking for entrance which she gladly accepted. The two appendages stroked and teased the other. Puck pulled her close and deepened the kiss. He could easily kiss her for hours, she had a taste that was uniquely Tina and he didn't think he would ever grow tired of the flavor.

It was with great reluctance that Tina eased back and dropped a few more close-mouthed kisses to Puck's lips before pulling back. She began to walk away and finally dropped his hand and turned once it became impossible to hold on any longer. "See you later, Puck."

"Later, Shoes," he called back.

Tina giggled and hurried out with a little pep to her walk. Little did either of them realize that someone had noticed her absence from the group and her delay in returning to the bus.


End file.
